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Morrissey began his 5-night stand at Hammerstein Ballroom on Monday night with an energetic and powerful performance. Clearly understanding the disappointment at his cancellation of the June concert, Morrissey said “our little donkey finally made it to New York City, thanks for your patience, thanks for waiting” after the third number. He proceeded to deliver a set tight with recent numbers and weighed heavy on the back end with Smiths favorites, including the rare “Death of a Disco Dancer” from Strangeways.

I recorded from the lower Mezzanine. I arrived fairly late, so that my position was farther back than hoped, although with a clear view at the left PA stack. The sound quality in the venue was quite outstanding, so that ultimately this recording is excellent.

This recording is no longer available at nyctaper. If you search the web, you’ll likely find a copy.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band brought their 2007 Magic tour to Madison Square Garden for two nights, and Thursday’s second show was another remarkable performance by the most energetic 58-year old performer in rock history. Springsteen worked through much of the new material, while sprinkling in career highlights, including a particular emphasis on Born to Run material. The highlight of the evening was the ultra-rare “Meeting Across the River” which segued directly into “Jungleland”, and which Bruce dedicated to his friend the late actor Peter Boyle.

nyctaper has supported Bruce for over 3 decades–going all the way back to 1975 when at the age of 12 I spent my allowance money to buy a vinyl copy of Born to Run. As we post this recording on this site, we again support him with our utmost sincerity. While Springsteen as been an avid anti-bootlegging artist, so too does this site condemn the sale of unofficial live recordings. In recent years, Bruce Springsteen has appeared to have drawn a line between profiteering bootleggers, and fan recordings. On the web, sites such as the jungeland tracker, backstreets, and dimeadozen have served to enhance fan interaction by freely sharing unofficial live recordings with the vociferous fans, all without any official condemnation by Bruce. We hope that this site will equally be seen as the supportive site we maintain, and that there will be no repercussions from the posting of this recording.

I recorded from Row C of Section 313, which is obviously not the ideal location in this venue. However, we were positioned directly on the side of the stage, and a large PA stack pointed directly at the section. As a result, while the recording is a bit boomy, its much clearer and more well-defined that I had expected. Enjoy!

This recording is no longer available at nyctaper. If you search the web, you’ll likely find a copy.

“It’s been a great year, eh?” I said. “Best one I’ve had in a really long time,” replied Cris Kirkwood, bass player for the Meat Puppets. Indeed, it has. The Meat Puppets continued their 2007 tour with a stop at the BrooklynVegan CMJ party at Pianos this afternoon where they entertained a packed room with a loose and playful set that featured several improvisational segments. The highlight was the 12-minute version of Up on the Sun that began with an introduction jam that melded neatly into the song.

Thanks to the Meat Puppets, I had access to an excellent recording position, and was able to utilize the maximum height of my stand and my Neumann rig. As a result, the recording is clear and crisp. Enjoy!

This recording is now available for download in FLAC or MP3 at Archive.org [HERE].

Regina Spektor came home to a huge admiring crowd at the sold-out Hammerstein Ballroom on Tuesday. Regina has come a long way from her Lower East Side anti-folk days and such venues as the Sidewalk Cafe, Fez and Tonic, but she has truly retained her modesty, charm and deadly sense of humor. All were on display at Hammerstein, as she worked through a delightful and varied setlist.

This recording was made from the best location for sound in this cavernous venue. However, recording a solo piano artist can be difficult, particularly when the crowd is so supportive. While Regina sings the recording is outstanding, but the volume levels boom when the crowd cheers. Be prepared for those boosts, and enjoy an otherwise thoroughly engaging performance!

The Meat Puppets are back in New York in a continued triumphant return to performing. The release of Rise to Your Knees, their strongest album in years, and the rave reviews of the 2007 performances, have established the “Pups” as one of the most unlikely and rewarding comeback stories of the rock era.

When I saw them at the Knitting Factory in August, I was aware that the tour was being viewed as a success, but I had no idea that the band would be so tight and powerful. My recording of that night is in the nyctaper archives (here).

On Wednesday and Saturday this week, our friends at the BrooklynVegan blog are sponsoring a free CMJ party at Pianos (158 Ludlow). The Meat Puppets are performing downstairs at 3:45pm on Wednesday (10/17), and I will be there to record. The complete schedule for all of the BrooklynVegan performaces is (here).

The Meat Puppets are also performing at Lion’s Den on Wednesday night at 11pm.

of Montreal brought their elaborate and entertaining stage show to Roseland on Saturday night, in a relatively short but well-played performance. The set list was more representative of the material as a whole than the Spring Hissing Fauna tour. The show also featured two new numbers slated for release on a 2008 album. The only negative was the behavior of the Saturday night midtown crowd, which was far too heavy with chatters, gazers, and text-message addicts.

Although I had written permission to record from of Montreal’s lead guitarist, I still had to deal with some venue politics–and three burly security guards hovering over me and telling me to take down my rig. Fortunately, Roseland Ballroom has an excellent Venue Manager named Linda, who assessed the situation and ultimately permitted me to record from the prime front of board position. Thanks Linda!

Overall, the results are outstanding. This is a clear and rich recording, which captures the music and bit of the party atmosphere. Enjoy!

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